First impression? The colors POP—like a candy store for fish. The red, white, and green mix looked vibrant dry, but after rinsing (and oh, you’ll rinse—more on that later), the red mellowed to a rusty tone. My betta, Mr. Bubbles, flared his fins approvingly, but I worried about those 'glass shard' reviews. Luckily, mine were smooth, but buyer beware: inspect every piece!

Dust city. I rinsed this 10+ times, and the water still looked like weak tea. My filter ran overtime for a day to clear it. Pro tip: Use a colander—it’s less messy. The grain size? Think coarse sand, not gravel. My cory cats love sifting through it, but it’s too fine for vacuuming—debris just swirls back into the water.

Coverage is laughable. One bag barely dusted the bottom of my 5-gallon tank. At this price, I expected more. But hey, zero pH swings, and the ethical sourcing is a plus. Would I rebuy? Only for nano tanks—and only after checking each rock for sharp edges.